Facebook
Twitter
RSS10 Ways to Make Your New Garage Add Value to Your Home
GreenWerks | 
Jan 7th, 2012 | 
If you’ve watched any HGTV shows about buying a home, selling a home, or remodeling a home then you’re probably already aware that it’s the bathrooms and kitchens that most people pay the most attention to. Still, that doesn’t mean that you should overlook the rest of your house. In fact, adding or remodeling a fantastic garage is a great way to add value to your home as well as give you some added convenience in the process.
If you’ve spent any time doing any online car insurance rate comparison then you might have noticed that one of the questions that pop up from time to time is whether or not you park your car in the garage or on the street. Aside from keeping your car safer from vandals and even other vehicles a good garage can also protect your car from the elements. You might be surprised at the amount of damage that snow, rain, wind, and sleet can do to your car.
At our house, a random piece of hail the size of my fist once put a crack in my windshield that was so big and deep we had to replace the entire glass. Up until then, the biggest nuisance we had to deal with was the neighbor’s cat that liked leaving decorative paw prints all over our hood.
A study conducted in 2003 at Florida State University found that the existence of a regular-sized garage had approximately a 13-percent effect on a home’s price. If you’d like to add some extra protection to your car, as well as add some value to your home, then the following are 10 things that you should keep in mind when adding or remodeling a garage:
1. Keep it attached- Who wants to run from the garage to the house in the rain and cold? An attached garage is almost always more beneficial than a detached structure.
2. Build up- If you’ve got the extra money, consider building an extra room atop your garage. This could be a bonus room, storage room, bathroom, etc. It’s cheaper to build up than to build out. Just make sure that you have a very good ventilation system in your garage because not having one is highly dangerous.
3. Don’t price yourself out of the neighborhood- Whenever you’re adding on or remodeling, be sure not to price yourself out of the neighborhood. A great garage should be functional but should also fit the overall style of the other houses in the area.
4. Make it a 2 car garage- If you have the room, make it a 2 car garage. Most families today have more than one vehicle and those that don’t usually appreciate the storage space.
5. Storage- Built-ins are great ways of adding value to your garage and providing you with storage space. A built-in shelf along the back of the garage can function as a place to store everything from winter clothes to tools.
6. Look at the restrictions- You might need a permit to build onto your house or make a new construction. Check this out before you pick up the hammer or else you might have to stop mid-project and pay fines. That definitely won’t help your bottom line.
7. Remote control access- It might sound like a simple feature, but people just prefer a garage that can be controlled with a click of a button rather than one that has to be opened by hand. Still, you should be able to open it by hand if the remote has problems.
8. Do as much work as you can- When building something like a garage, labor can often be the most expensive aspect. If you have any building experience at all then doing as much of the work yourself as you can will save you money which will add more value in the long run.
9. Measure the door height- You want your garage door to be over 6’5” tall so that most vehicles will actually be able to drive under it.
10. Make it match- If you have a gorgeous Victorian home, adding a modern, contemporary style garage (from the outside anyway) will detract from the look of your home. Try your best to keep it I the same style.
About the Author- Marty Sutton is a freelance writer who volunteers as a laborer for Habitat for Humanity on the side. She has written many articles and blogs on the subject matter of saving money by learning simple DIY products, repurposing furniture, and comparing prices for services that you might not have considered transferable. When not trying to save money by finding the best online auto insurance quotes, she and her husband are currently restoring their turn of the century farmhouse in rural West Virginia, along with their two Siberian Huskies.
Keep Reading and Check out these Articles:
- Garage Construction
- Keeping Your Garage Door Safe
- Green Your Garage
- Ways to Make your Interior Decor Stand Out
- 8 Simple and Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Home Just a Little Bit Greener
I totally agree. The garage may be among those parts of the house that people give least importance to, but what they usually neglect to remember is that it protects one of their most expensive possessions. And also, I give two thumbs up for this list.
I just realized how important is it to remodel or redesign the garage. It is also an important part of the house therefore we should not abandon our garage easily.